Moon Fall: Book One
by FoxyTheWaffleKitty
Summary: When Flake and her brother are forced out of their homeland by the Penumbras, the young she-cat must make the decision to travel far and escape to freedom... or die.


**Chapter One  
**

_Melted snow lapped at my paws, _making it feel as if a layer of frost was covering them. The ice which has kept our home together for so long groaned and creaked. Beside of me, I can feel the warm breath from my brother, Cyan. His pace is timid and unsteady, like a wounded fox.

I turn to him and groom the fading scar on his shoulder. Smiling, the blue-gray tom fluffed his chest fur and swayed his thick tail. In the cover of black, I can see his green eyes glistening in the dark. It makes me feel better and less worried about the events yet to come.

He looks at me and whispers, "Do you think we will ever escape the Penumbras?"

I shiver when he mentions that word. The Penumbras are a group of murderers, cats who are somehow a darker shade of black. Our mother and sister died at the claws of one killer, and now it is my duty to watch over my brother.

Cyan's muscles ripple under his blue-tabby coat. I knew that meant. "What do you smell?" I ask, flicking my tail. His amber eyes narrow.

"Hare," he sighed. Sure enough, a small white rabbit bounded on the snow-capped hill in front of us. My claws extended, but I knew in this weather, I had no hope in catching a hare. It leaped across the horizon and disappeared in a blink.

My brother murmured something vulgar under his breath and sat on the frosted ground. I look at him in concern.

"It wasn't the first, nor will it be the last hare, Cyan." I say, trying to cheer him up. He just snorts, his breath making a cloud. "Come on, brother. You have to try."

"Flake, I can't _try, _when I know there is no hope." he mutters, curling his tail around his paws. I want to help, but all I can do is feel sorry for the tom. The life has gone from his emerald gaze, and the spirit that was once contained in a small kit has disappeared.

I lay next to him, the cold snow freezing my belly. Already Cyan is snoring, and his calm breaths are making me drowsy. Soon, I'm asleep.

* * *

I'm not sure how long Cyan and I have been sleeping, but when I open my eyes, smoky clouds fill the sky. Pale light tries to squeeze through, and what little does reflects off of the tiny bits of scattered snow.

My paw lingers over to my brother's shoulder, prodding him awake. He shuffles a bit before lifting his head.

"What?" Cyan groans, rolling onto his belly.

"Come on. We have to keep moving if we're to escape and find freedom." I say. The blue-tabby snorts and stands up. Below him, is an impression of where his body laid. How it didn't freeze him? I have no idea. I was able to keep part of myself up for the night to keep from getting frostbite, but that didn't explain how Cyan wasn't frozen.

I shook the strange thought from my mind and stretched.

"We should get moving now," I say, looking at the thickening clouds.

"Right. And I feel like the Penumbras are up early." Cyan agrees. We trudge through the snow, brushing away our prints with our tails.

* * *

As the day crept on, crystal-like flakes begin to fall from the sky again, yet the ground under us was slushy and soft. At one point, we had reached the river. Hard ice creaked under us, making me feel nauseous about falling in.

Cyan looks down at the clear cover and flicks his tail. "We're in trouble if this breaks," he mutters. "But, if the sand at the bottom stays still, we'll be sort of okay."

Sighing with relief, I continue to trek across the ice. It groans and creaks. I hold my breath and look straight forward. It's a terrifying to know that I am walking across a half-frozen river, but I believe, from what my mother told me, the Penumbras hate water.

I finally decide to look down. When I do, I find that I have reached land. "Phew," I say, sitting down. "I thought we would be frozen fish-food there for a moment."

Cyan nods and keeps his eyes locked onto the snow-white lands ahead of us. His fur goes completely flat, and his tail twitches.

"Cyan?"

Next thing I know, cold ground is kicked in my face as my brother takes off. I growl and watch as he tackles a tiny mouse.

It squeezes out from under Cyan's grasp and darts off. The tom mumbles something and flies after it, his paws barely touching the snow. The prey item squeals and disappears under the layer of frost. Hissing in frustration, he pads back to where I sit and plops down.

"Better luck next time," I sigh.


End file.
